Air-brake-pipe coupling.



A. HERSTAD.

AIR BRAKE PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATIQN FILED JAN-1.1917.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l A. HERSTAD.

AIR BRAKE PIPE COUPLlNG.

APPLICATION FlLED JAN.4. 1917.

1,245,156. Patented Nov. 6, 1917. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

are;

AIR-BRAKE-PIPE COUPLING.

Specification 'of Letters Patent.

Patented -Nov. 6, 1917.

Application filed anuary 4, 1917. Serial No. 140,494.;

230 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Annnnw HnRsTAD, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce, State of Washington, have invented certain new o and useful Improvements in AinBrake-Pip'e Couplings, of whichthe following is a specificationL v This invention relates to devices mounted on railway cars or other transportationvehieles whereby the air, steam, or other pipes mounted on each of two adjacent similarly equipped cars may be automatically coupled together assoon as the said cars approach within a predetermined distance of each other.v

The objects of this invention are to provide means for supportingsaid coupling device in such elevation as to be engaged by the similarly supported coupling device on the adjacent car; to provide a means for displacing'saidcoupling devices laterally, when not coupled, thereby insuring the proper engagement ofsaid adjacent devices when the cars come together; and to provide an'adjustable means for maintaining adjacent couplings in engagement without securing them together.

I attainthese and other objects by the devices, mechanisms, and arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the end of a car equipped with my device;

Fig. 2 is a plan thereof, the car body hav ing been removed from the truck;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan, looking upward, of the end of the supporting frame and of the coupler head supported thereby, the end of an adjacent coupler headbeing also shown to illustrate their relative displacement when disengaged, and the position of said coupler head when engaged being shown in broken lines;

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the coupler head;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of a pair of coupler headsin engagement; and

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the supportin pivot post.

%1milar numerals of reference refer .to s milar parts throughout the several vlews.

Referring principally to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be observed that the car truck has the usual upper side members 1 andlower, side membersQ anda cross member 3, aswell as the usual axle 4:. The other parts of the truck are not herein, mentioned as they do not concern this invention, but it is understood that the truck is of the usual construction and may beof any of the types nowfin common use.

I build the following described frame structure across the end of'said car truck to support and control the air-pipee'oupler. This frame consists'of a main supporting member 5 secured to and extending from below the end of one lower side truck member 2 forward to a point 6, positioned substantially in the central axis of the truck or track, and thence to the lower side member 2 on the other side of the truck; said main member 5 being reinforced at each end by bars 7 extending therefrom and secured above each of said upper slde truck memlower central brace 9,'secured to the same cross member ,3 and extending therefrom beneath the axle 4 and forked and secured to said'member 5 in a manner similar to the member 8. Y

'A vertical pivot post 10 (Figs. 1, 2, 1 and 6) is pivotally secured in vertical position between said central brace members 8 and 9, by passing through suitable holes in said members and by. having suitable shoulders formed on its ends. The pivot post 10 isprovided with a slot 11 at a suitable point therein said slot being, adapted for the purpose hereinafter specified.

'Referringvnow to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it will be seen that the coupling head is provided with a flat horizontal base plate 12, vextending rearward therefrom and adapted to rest on the main supporting member 5 of the frame and to move freely thereon in any direction, This plate 12 is provided with a lug 13 adjustably secured to its lower side and being formed in -a substantially triangular shape, the apex 14 of the said'triangle forming the point of the lug and being slightly displaced from under the center line of the plate 12. This point engages the inner edge of the plate and, under the action of the hereinafter described spring 15, is pressed outward until it engages the inner angle of the point So. long therefore as the coupler head is not and therefore two adjacent heads will not come quite in line with each other, as shown in Fig. 3, but will allow corresponding parts to pass freely until the heads are substantially in complete engagement.

Each coupler head comprises a socket portion and a tongue portion, the socket portion being formed'to receive the tongue portion of the, complementary and similar coupler head on the other car, and the tongue portion being formed to enter the socket portion of the said other coupler. The coupler head comprises a main body 16 into which a socket is formed, the outer vertical wall 17 forming the said socket being cut at an acute angle to the vertical wall 18 thereof, which lies in the central axis of the head, the vertical height of said socket being slightly greater than the vertical'height of the following described tongue 19. The main body 16 also has a tongue 19 extending out from it, the vertical wall 18 thereof being a continuation of the vertical wall 18 of the socket and lying in the central axis of the head- The tongue 19 also has an outer wall 20 which is parallel with the wall 1'? of the socket. Thevertical height of the tongue is less than that of the main body 16 and is such as to be adapted to lit in the complementary socket of another coupler head.

The flexible air pipe 21 of the car is attached to the metal pipe 2 2 on the side of the coupler head, the passage 23 whereof leads to the central vertical wall 18. The center of this passage intersects the vertical wall 18 at substantially its longitudinal center. A cavity is formed around the opening of said passage 23 in the wall 18 and is filled with a ring 2% of rubber, or other suitable material. which extends out from the face of the wall 18. In case steam and air pipes are to be coupled, the separate passages therefor ha e openings in the wall 18 arran ed one vertically above the other.

A guide rod 25 is screw-threaded at one end and is screwed into the head 16, a nut 26 being used to lock it therein. This rod extends from the said head to and through the slot 11 in the pivot post wherein it is supported. A pair of adjustable nuts 27, one of which acts as a lock for the other, are also screwed on the rod 25 and their position thereon may evidently be adjusted in the usual way. The spring is loosely mounted on the rod 25 and bears against, the pivot post 10 at one endand the adjustable nut 27 at the other end, thus always pushing the said coupler head outward so that the point 14: of the lug 13 engages the inner corner of the point 6 of the 1 frame 5, when the coupler head'is disengaged, and so that when the coupler-head is engaged by another similar head, it is always pressed tightly thereagainst, thus bringing the inclined walls of the re spective tongues 19 into engagement with the correspondingly inclined walls 17, of the respective sockets, and thus pressing or wedging the walls 18 of the respective heads 16 into close contact andtightly compressing the two rubber rings 2d together to prevent the escape of the air or steam therefrom. i

it is evident that when the'two heads are thus in engagement their lugs 13 are removed backward from the frame 5 and that therefore both the heads are free to move laterally so that as the train rounds a curve they will both swing to one side, turning the pivot posts 10 in the frame members 8 and 9 and forming a straight line between the two said posts; and since the rods are in the slots 11 in the posts 10 it is evident that any relative vertical motion between the cars is automatically taken care of. When the cars are disconnected or uncoupled, the respective heads keep in engagement until the cars are sulhciently separated to allow the lugs 13 to engage the respective corners of the frame members 5, when they easily separate, without disturbing any of the parts.

Having described my invention, what I desire toclaim is:-

1. In an air-brake-pipe coupler, the combination with a car truck; of a frame secured thereto and extending across the end thereof; a post mounted on said frame; a coupler head supported by said frame and free to move thereon, said coupler head being ada ated to make connection with a similar complementary coupler head on the truck of another car and when so connected to be pushed thereby toward said post; a lug secured to said coupler head and adapted to engage the inner side of said frame when the coupler head is disengaged to limit its forward motion thereon; and a resilient means mounted between said postand said coupler head whereby said 'couplerhead is constantly pressed away from said post.

2. In an air-brake pipe coupler, the combination with a car truck; of a frame secured thereto and extending across the end thereof, said frame being bent at its center to form a horizontal angle the point thereof extending outward from said truck; a post mounted on said frame; a coupler head supported by said frame and free to move thereon, said coupler head being adapted to make connection with a similar complementary coupler head on the truck of an other car, and when so connected to be pushed thereby toward said post; a lug secured to said coupler head and adapted to engage the inner side of said frame when the coupler head is disengaged, and to slide therealong into said horizontal angle whereby said coupler head is held in substantially central position when disengaged and whereby its forward motion is limited; and a resilient means mounted between said post and said coupler head whereby said coupler head is constantly pressed away from said post.

3. In an air-brake-pipe coupler, the combination with a car truck; of a frame secured thereto and extending across the end thereof, said frame being bent at its center to form a horizontal angle the point thereof extending outward from said truck; a post mounted on said frame; a spring engaging said post; a coupler head supported by said frame and free to move thereon, and engaging said spring to compress it, said coupler head being adapted to make connection with a similar complementary coupler head on the truck of another car, and when so connected to compress said spring between it and said post; and a lug secured to said coupler head and adapted to engage the inner side of said frame when the coupler head is disengaged, and to slide therealong under the action of said spring into said horizontal angle the point of said lug being displaced from the central axis of said coupler head whereby said coupler head is held in slightly displaced central position when disengaged, and whereby its forward motion is limited.

ANDREW HERSTAD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington, D. C. 

